Telegram-herald., 1887-07-11
WIPED OUT!'
Wicked Hurley Purified
by Fire.
Another Great Conf1agration
Visits the Town.
s Score or More of Lives
Lost in the Flames.
The Notorious Alcazar Thea
ire Entirely Consumed.
Tin Horn Gamblers Loot the
Burning Buildings.
Horrible Fate OF the Variety Actresses
and Attaches of the Theatre
Twelve Bodies Recovered
Others Roasting in
the Ruins.


Others Roasting in
the Ruins.
ASHLAND. Wis. July le.-For the fourth
time in its brief history the mining town
of Hurley. on the Gogebic Range has been
visited with terrible fire. This time the
result is almost total destruction of the
town and the loss of nearly. not quite, &
score OF lives.
Less than two weeks ago, June 2s, two
blocks in the business center of the town
burned to the ground at a loss Of 500, ,000
The tract then devssted was yesterday
swarming with workmen and in short
time would have been rebuilt on a much
larger scale than before. The workmen
laid down their tools at o'clock and drew
their weeks wages which two hours later
many of them were spending in
numerous saloons down town. Between g
and 9 o'clock the Alcazar Theatre, a large
beer hail and variety show, on Main-st..
was swarming with these and other patrons.
gamblers and attaches of the place, one OF
the latter waiter girl and variety actress,
went 10 the top loft Of the building with an
oil lamp. She is presumed to have dropped
the lamp, for almost instantly after heT dis
appearance from the lower floor fame OF
fro shot skyYard from the roof, ana sec
ond later the structure was ablaze from the
cellar up.
1t was large building, bat like every
thing else III Hurley, was constructed
wholly of fat pine and fell sn instant prey
to the fire. The upper floors were filled
with women. who. reslizing their terrible
plight, with no possible escape from death,
added their screams 10 the already indie
scribable chaos, and through the glare
these wretched creatures were seen and
heard but for moment before the flames
folded ir upon them and swallowed them
up. The Alcszsr stood for less than half
an hour. The adjoining building, a gro
cery, abundantly stocked with coal oil,
took fire in an instant and
barrel of oil Fss ignited. An explo-
sion followed. and the doom of the
place was settled. Building after building
suecumbed as the fire marched east and
northward. Sparks and ciaders mounted
on the wind and were sent far ahead with
message of destruction. Every house was
a wood-box and courted the flames.
The fire department, whose chief, warned
by the disaster of last month"; had resorted
TO daily training of his forces, was found to
be powerless in the general panic. Men
could not be controlled or made to work.
Nor was this the worst. Like all mining
camps Hurley swarmed with "tin- horn
gamblers and roughs. long since banished
from more civilized communities. To such
a public disaster is private feast. Instead
OF working to help save the city they con-
tributed to spread the destruction by carry
inc brands of ire into buildings not yet
touched, and taking advantage of the psnic
TO loot st large. Dozens OF these scou ndrels
we're seen in the streets boldly replacing
their worn garments with suits of clothes
from shelves in the burning tailor
chops. Nothing escaped their bands.
They seized bottles of liquor from the sa-
oons and drank rntil some fell unconscious
IN the midst of devastation and were burned
TO death.
Within an hour everything in Hurley,
sast of the street running up the hill was i'm
ashes, and the people who had themselves
escaped the flames were either Wild by rush
ng about the edge OF the ruins, or else
standing on the brow of the hill, stupidity
staring at the terrible scene The Burton
House. by great good fortune. was barely |
'aveS, though the flames at one time crossed |
ne street. Under it's roof many found |
heller, who must otherwise have spent the |
light IN the woods.
A number of those who had saved some |
,rcperfv from the fire oftwo weeks ago were /
In1riersd i'm the district now burned 1
md by the second visitation lost all their
possessions No attempt has vet been
ode % estimate the financial loss. Most Il
Z the burned buildings were rudelv buiit
aany OF them contained valuable stocks
nj many Of he saloons were expeasjveiv
itted 40. Nearly il not quite hundred |
no hfiy buildings were consumed. Among
kese were the bank af Hurley and the
american Express C0npanys Office whose
ales are visible, uIturned in the ruins.
srSe church was also burned. All ths: re-
aaiDs of the town is the Burton Hotel and |
mother smaller hotel. the Lake Shore de-
Ot and two or three new residences on the
sry summit Of the slope. whose detached
Osition saved them. There is no insur
nee, as ali the companies cancelled their
oilcies Immediately after the late FIRE
ne Western Union Telegraph Office was
and there was no communication
nth this town, forty miles away, until this
loruiRz.
Conductor Jones. Of the lake Shore train
-hicl passed through Hurley AZ 80 this
'orniBg. reported the total desfrac-
On of the town ss described. The
rPress agent On the same train
fAttA -iAttr - &ff Htritt AuE EUtN-. lie
iat on the open street was stretched In
,T twelve bodies already taken from, tie
Tins chsTred beyond recognition. ruaer
70 ruins 0f the Alrszsr. IN pile of coais
1si charred timbsrs 50 hot Sc 70 be unap-
-esccab.e- wers visible tnree other bodies
ae cp5nion prevailed in Hurley that
ifaoeI RI other bodies were sffI 70 - 1
ard 81 greet - the CONSERVATION thus
=, ard 50 recent the shock. that no sgerisl /
Tort has been made 70 Investigate further |
( The Alcazar Thsstre vas run bv nan
snled Young. and wss tle place that rr
Fsd - maca Botorietv through the r.r~za
res@oE of the 9rnd.nz of inr rocept e5r.s
CD CnicaS0 8H~sakee ard other c5fiss
The theatre. where they rere kepf -
1se confinement sT5 ruine3 BIZ TIA "a
51s % he house. IN sdiifina ~ fbe ~
sFy performers. from fifteen to fwe.fv
ris were kspt a. 81 times es @fret rs~+
'feTs ard we're forced 70 work il fhe ir,-
resfs - tie bar. Every &tfxxas ~ he
estre wss required 70 board sni losxe "a
: premises srS ~ Eas 1.oze 81 The shez :
? fer1ales we're required % psrtsc osre ia
2 oz1cInE orzes which rrere ~
x1tlE @ccurTe1ces xrt~s -as
r. over fhe 6rSt Tsrt women sos thssr 4
'sS7ozs vss rsss-sEnes tks ssus ss il tbs